Key Facts

Location: Columbus, OH

Partners: Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), and Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District (CCSID)

Summary: COTA provides eligible downtown workers with unlimited access to the entire COTA bus system through the Downtown CPass program. CPass has been an innovative and effective way of encouraging alternative transportation, reducing parking needs, and increasing COTA’s ridership by 17 percent during rush hour.

About

In Columbus, the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) provides eligible downtown workers and some residents with free, unlimited access to the entire COTA bus system through the Downtown CPass program. The pass program was created to mitigate concerns that parking downtown was becoming too expensive. The costs to provide abundant parking affect the recruitment and retention efforts of employers, while creating cost barriers for a variety of employees. Public transit presents a cheaper alternative to move employees efficiently in and out of downtown while reducing the burden on property owners to provide more parking.

CPass is funded by downtown property owners within the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District (CCSID) and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC). The CCSID contributed a total of $2.5 million to the program, and MORPC provided another $2.5 million in federal funds. (Ferenchik, 2019) Program users must work in eligible buildings within the CCSID, which was created to provide services that support a safe, clean, and vibrant downtown.

At the beginning of 2019, around 45 percent of eligible companies and 13,500 employees had enrolled in the CPass program. From the program’s launch in June 2018 to January 2019, CPass users took around 460,000 rides. These trips impacted COTA’s overall ridership—showing a 17 percent increase, over six months, in rush hour boarding. (Warren, 2019) Furthermore, a satisfaction survey conducted in 2019 showed that 68 percent of survey participants reported they started using COTA because of the CPass program. Fifty-two percent of companies surveyed reported having employees that gave up their parking spaces because they were riding the bus. Thirty-four percent of companies stated the CPass had helped them recruit and retain employees, and 17 percent said the CPass was a factor when determining whether or not to sign or renew their lease downtown. (Ferenchik, 2019)

CPass will continue to be offered and funded through December 2020.

Sources & More information:

• Central Ohio Transit Authority’s Downtown CPass

• “Free Downtown Bus Pass Program Launches,” Columbus Underground Article

• “C-Pass Users Helping to Boost COTA Ridership,” Columbus Underground Article

• “More Downtown workers taking the bus because of CPass,” Columbus Dispatch Article

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